New details have emerged regarding the incident last week on a FlyDubai flight traveling from Dubai to Tel Aviv, where a co-pilot attempted to crash the aircraft. According to CBS News, the co-pilot has now been positively identified.
He was formerly employed by Oman Air, where reports indicate he had visited radical websites during his tenure. This reportedly led to his reassignment to an office job. He left the airline in 2024 and subsequently joined FlyDubai, allegedly without undergoing a mandatory vetting process by the Omani government. The man holds Omani citizenship, although he spent the majority of his life outside the country. His mother is Syrian and his father is Omani.
The co-pilot reportedly attacked the aircraft captain during the flight on Wednesday, attempting to bring the plane down. Some sources mention a knife being used as a weapon, while other reports suggest an axe, which is reportedly standard equipment in the cockpit.
The captain successfully defended against the attack and unlocked the cockpit door, after which passengers collectively subdued the co-pilot. Two retired pilots then took control of the aircraft and executed an emergency landing in Tabuk, Saudi Arabia.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated that the co-pilot had been radicalized Islamistically and intended to crash the aircraft with its passengers. Investigations are ongoing to determine if he was acting on behalf of a specific organization. The man has since been transferred to the United Arab Emirates, where he is being questioned by Israeli, Saudi, and Emirati authorities.
